When longtime real estate developer Alvin Vitt died last February, he had built bank branches and several office buildings. But his passion came through in the 13 medical facilities he built throughout the community, say those who knew him.

Without Vitt, some of his tenants and investors wondered whether they would see his 14th medical building completed.

His Alvin D. Vitt & Co. real estate firm was in the middle of a $22 million conversion of what had been Citicorp offices along Highway 40 into the 138,000-square-foot Walker Medical Center -- among the largest independent medical office buildings in the St. Louis area -- when Vitt died suddenly last year at age 70.

"It was a big blow when Alvin Vitt died," said Earl Walker, owner of Carr Lane Manufacturing Co. and majority investor in Walker Medical. Walker had been investing in Vitt & Co. projects since Al Vitt developed the Adams Place Retirement Community in the early 1990s. "He was the kind of person who always did what he said."

A son takes over

Leasing for Walker Medical was under way when Vitt died, and Arco Construction Co. was completing work at the site. "(The project) could have stalled out and lost momentum," said Tom White Jr., president of the White Co. commercial real estate firm, which has stepped in to handle leasing on the building.

Instead, Scott Vitt, 44, stepped up to the plate, becoming president of Alvin D. Vitt & Company. He took over the work his father had started. Vitt, who by day is a real estate investment banker with NorthMarq Capital Inc. in St. Louis, said he had limited personal experience developing real estate, most of it during seven years he spent in Dallas as vice president of finance with Lincoln Property Co.

Some Walker Medical investors who were worried about the project's future after Al Vitt's death might not have known how close Scott Vitt and his father had been. While Scott Vitt never worked for Vitt & Co., he said he spoke regularly with his dad about the Walker Medical project as well as other business developments.

Vitt has a brother who works in the financial receivables field in St. Louis and a sister who lives in Wisconsin, so if anyone in the family was going to help finish the building, it was him, Vitt said.

He said his family's connection to health care made him want to see the project through. "My grandfather was a doctor. I remember accompanying him on rounds at the hospital."

Vitt said completing Walker Medical "was more than economics. Dad spoke the language of doctors. He cared about that property and, like my grandfather, was passionate about delivering medical care."

After his dad died, one of Vitt's first calls was to White. Vitt said he was acquainted with White through his father. They also had another connection: White took over his own family's business in 1989 after his father, Tom White Sr., died unexpectedly. "I'd been with the company about a year at the time," White said.

White's and Vitt's fathers had been close friends, starting in mid-1960s when Al Vitt was a banker at the former Mercantile Bank. He worked with White Sr. through the White Co. Al Vitt maintained that friendship when he later join Sachs Properties and in 1974 when he formed his own company.

"I knew who to call," Scott Vitt said. "I sat down with Tom and told him I wanted him to be our leasing agent, and I wasn't talking to anybody else. I didn't think I had time to go through six months of interviewing."

White Co. was on the job by April of last year, within six weeks of Al Vitt's death. White also has offered Vitt pointers on dealing with legal fees and other matters related to his father's estate, Vitt said.

Developing history

Al Vitt and a partner sold space to doctors who were based in office towers on the St. John's Mercy Medical Center campus in Creve Coeur decades ago. He also developed medical buildings at the corner of Clayton and Ballas roads and three buildings for Group Health Plan.

In addition to medical buildings, his company built the Chapel Hill I and II office buildings at Mason and Highway 40 in 1984 (Vitt & Co. still owns and maintains one of the buildings).

He also developed the nearly 150,000-square-foot Opus Northwest Tower in Chesterfield, now known as One Chesterfield Place, and branches for the former Roosevelt Bank, and he personally helped THF Realty assemble property for what is now Chesterfield Commons.

"He gave me suggestions on the development," said Mike Staenberg, president of THF, who called Vitt a mentor. "He made calls to city officials and landowners, all to make Chesterfield Commons happen. He never asked for a dime."

Future plans

Construction at Walker Medical wrapped up in October. The building, which has an asking rent of $26 a square foot, is now 60 percent occupied. White said he is in negotiations with a number of users considering occupying the remaining 55,000 square feet. Among the new tenants are Midwest Endoscopy, Midwest Therapeutic Endoscopy, St. Louis Dermatology, Rehab 1 Network, Stella-Maris Internal Medicine, Quest Diagnostics and Urology Consultants. Those businesses join Arch Medical Service, St. Louis Orthopedic Institute and Mason Ridge Surgery.

Meanwhile, Vitt & Co. continues to operate with a maintenance and administrative staff of about six people. Scott Vitt said he's been able to keep his post with NorthMarq and serve as Vitt & Co.'s president through his regular conversations with White.

The arrangement is running smoothly, Vitt and White said, and they anticipate maintaining it for the future.

"If you're going to spend the most precious thing you have, which is time, do something important," Vitt said. "Putting a roof over the healers' heads is one of those important things."

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